


Sun & Stars

by Sokorra



Series: The Christmas Prompts 2014 [5]
Category: The West Wing
Genre: Episode Related, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-19
Updated: 2015-06-19
Packaged: 2018-04-05 02:50:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 979
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4162839
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sokorra/pseuds/Sokorra
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Leo has some thoughts during "O Holy Night".</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sun & Stars

As Leo sat in his office, Christmas morning slowly brightening in the window behind him, he came to a realization. Well, not quite a realization, as the information was not new to him, nor had he never made the connection before. A reaffirmation of sorts, he supposed. But tonight had been the first time in awhile he had stumbled upon this fact and it wasn’t sitting well with him.

He had long known that Josh had feelings for Donna. It was harder for him to discern Donna’s feelings, as he hadn’t known her for quite so long as he had his pseudo-son, but he had come to the conclusion during the days after the shooting that the situation was not unrequited on either side. However, he had thought they had moved on. They had dated other people. Seemed to be stepping back slightly from their odd codependent work relationship. He thought they were just growing up so to speak and leaving their infatuations in the past.

Tonight however had proved one thing. Donna may have moved on, and to be fair Leo was fair from certain that was the case, but Josh hadn’t. The way he stuttered over his reply had told Leo all he needed to know.

“I’m trying.” Those words kept repeating in Leo’s head. Josh was no longer unaware of his feelings for Donna. It had always been the case that everyone knew what the two felt for each other but the two themselves. He had never been sure if it had just been denial or simply obliviousness. But now he could at least put Josh unde denial. 

He wondered what was it about Jack Reese that had Josh finally breaking from his self-induced stupor when it came to his feelings about Donna? Normally he didn’t really give a rat’s ass about his coworker’s love life, but Josh had always been more of a son to him then a subordinate and the look in his eyes tonight just brought out that side of him.

Josh was letting her go, but having trouble with it, and Leo didn’t know how to help him. He regretted later being so harsh with his oh, get it together. Josh usually did have it together.

Maybe it was the stress he was under with both he and Jed giving him sisyphean tasks, or maybe Jack was finally a man Donna cared about enough to give Josh serious competition. He didn’t quite understand the dynamic, it wasn’t something he had paid attention to, but as he sat there, thinking about how Josh was dealing with it all, he wish he had.

He had stayed with Josh, trying to figure out the church issue till only a half hour ago, trying to put out of his mind the fact that Danny might be holding a scandal over their heads. The man was just doing his job, and he knew it wasn’t a personal attack, but it was reminding a bit too much of the aftermath of the MS revelation and it had taken almost the whole campaign to regain their footing after that.

He now wondered if Josh had spent the night focusing on this project to get his mind of things as well. Not that it was an unworthy endeavour but neither man had their minds completely on it.

“You still up?” He looked over to see Jed standing in the doorway, a jacket over his pajamas. Apparently Leo was not the only one who couldn’t sleep even after a full night. Josh was passed out on Toby’s couch, not at all in shape to drive home that…morning.

“Yeah, we managed to get someone down to fix the roof.”

“Yeah?” Jed moved his head in a nodding gesture, although to what he was saying yes to Leo didn’t know. “That’s good. Josh?”

“In Toby’s office. “ He paused. “I think we might still need that plan.”

“What plan?”

“The Josh-and-Donna plan.”

“Ooohhh, that plan.” Jed’s face lit up after a second. “They finally admitted? It just may be the second christmas miracle!”

“No, not quite,” Leo said. “I think Josh is starting to come out of denial, he almost admitted as much to me tonight. Donna I’m not sure about. But she’s got someone serious enough to cause Josh to lose his footing.”

“Then why do we need the plan.”

“Because I’m not sure Josh is going to be able to take it when Donna invariably leaves him.” Leo stood and walked towards his friend. “Not work wise, she’d still be here. Although that's another subject we need to discuss. But personally wise.”

“Ah, I see.” Jed frowned. “Just who is this beau of hers?” Leo bit back a smile. While Josh had been his favorite “kid”, Donna was probably Jed’s. Mostly because she was the only one who liked to trivialize people like he did. 

Poor Jack Reese, Leo thought to himself. There’s nothing like getting a “What are your intentions towards my daughter” lecture from the President. Especially when you don’t expect one as she’s not his actual daughter.

A few weeks later that point was mute. It was a good thing that spot in Italy opened up when it did and they needed Reese’s skills because after what he had done to Donna had not put him in Jed’s favor.

But as he watched Josh follow Donna around, the two looking at each other like the curtain had finally been torn away and they were giddy with it he didn’t know whether to be happy for them or fear what the next year was going to be like.   
He just hopped, as both a father and a boss, that Josh would be happy. That this would end well, and not chip another crack into a man who kept getting slammed and somehow managed to keep from breaking too much.


End file.
